Powderfinger69 posts his first 75 books challenge

Looking forward to my first run at the challenge. I'll post shortly the books i had already read this month.

Before the Fall was part of SantaThing 2017. Thank you NicoleW

The Plague belonged to my father. For some reason it sat on the shelf for four years, but I finally read it.

As a political history reader, I enjoyed unbelievable because it tells more about being the embedded reporter than attempting to make sense of it all.

It's scary to think what the next generation of historians will have to say about both candidates and our current political environment.

Welcome! Looks like a good start to the year. Unbelievable is on my list, but haven’t gotten to it yet.

Welcome to the challenge! Happy reading in 2018!

Welcome to the group! I read Before the Fall last year and really enjoyed it!

Roadmap to Hell is my first Early Reviewers book. My next read needs to put a smile on my face. This one drowns you in the Nigerian gangs exploitation of sex slaves with the full knowledge of the mafia and corrupt Italian government.

I enjoyed reading Crusader Castles by T.E. Lawrence. The story behind its creation, along with the photos and drawings, add to the pleasure.

Slightly Foxed—but still desirable is a short book, but a fun look at the odd language of book collectors.

After a short break, I finished On the Map. Packed with historical nuggets but a cartographic background is not necessary to enjoy reading. It also touches on mapping the brain, computer gaming, and other topics you might not expect.

The Cocktail Book was first published in 1900. It is the “earliest book devoted purely to the art of the cocktail.” Many, many drinks have not changed. Perhaps Pepsi and Coke could learn a few things?

I finished my second SantaThing 2017 book, Passionate Declarations. You certainly don't have to agree with Howard Zinn's conclusions to find this collection of essays thought provoking.

Took advantage of the recent Folio Society sale and bought (among others) Camus' The Outsider. Finished reading it just a moment ago. Some had told me it's the poor man's version of Crime and Punishment, but I disagree. There is no mental breakdown here. Just cold acceptance of what he sees as truth. Well worth a re-read.

I often read many books at the same time, which can slow down completion times. Just finished The Tropic of Cancer this afternoon. While the Paris of this book no longer exists, I did find it interesting that for a book banned for so many years was not pornographic at all. Perhaps, its blatant refusal to conform was the true origin of its censorship?!?

I have enjoyed reading my Letterpress Shakespeare volumes. The plays, of course, are a real treat but I have been pleasantly surprised by how much I like the companion volume from The Oxford Shakespeare. Sunday, I read Macbeth and its companion--edited by Nicholas Brooke.

The Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius took me a while to finish. The beginning flowed much more easily for me, and it offered me a window into the European mind of the early Middle Ages. I enjoyed reading an entire Book, setting it aside, and returning a few days later. Books Four and Five, however, became a denser read for me. Probably because the answers it provided to the questions of presdestination and free will and justice were less than unsatisfying. I found them silly, almost. Still glad I read it though, because I enjoy reading fiction from and history of the Middle Ages.

Speed the Dawn by Philip Donlay is a thriller requiring little brain power. Nice diversion from a big snow storm received as a March Early Reviewer. Plenty of action caused by a meteor shower that set fire to northern California. Nothing deep here, but it did keep my attention.

I found The Quest for El Cid to be a slow, plodding read. I admit that the names of people and places in languages that I do not know slow me down, but the style of prose is very dense for me. Many historians are so much better at telling me the story without sacrificing the teaching of new knowledge and/or ideas.

Finished The Quartet by Joseph J. Ellis last night. I enjoy reading him because there is always something to learn but he tells his stories in such a way that you never feel like you don’t know enough to follow along.

The message of Hard Times rings very true today. "...that there i(s) a love in the world, not all (S)elf-intere(s)t after all, but (s)omething very different...." However, this was by far the most difficult Dickens read that I can remember. Reading the sections where his satire of the Utilitarians is at its thickest at times feels like walking through quicksand in order to follow the plot. The story is simple and you cannot miss his point, but everything slogs.

While on vacation I read Dan Silva's The Confessor. I entered this series several books in. It answered many questions I have had about some of the characters.

Finished Numero Zero by Umberto Eco. Didn’t enjoy it as much as his others—short and simple. I have no knowledge about his health as he wrote this, but I appreciate the opportunity to read one more book from one of my favorites.

I have liked reading Charlie Lovett. Today I finished The Lost Book of the Grail, and it's my favorite so far. The ending seemed less contrived, and again I could identify with many of his characters. A fun read for a lover of old books, but you don't have to be a fanatic to enjoy.

Somehow, I had never read Candide until now.

Did you like it?

The story-line is simple and silly. Quentin Blake's illustrations add a lot of humor. Thankfully, I know enough history for the satire to work. Too many of my friends would not appreciate it. Imagine my eighteen year old reading something making fun of the 1980s. Much of it he would not find funny, and that's only three decades--not centuries.

Read Matthew Pearl's The Dante Chamber this weekend. I have enjoyed all of his work, but the Dante books are my favorites.

Looks like I forgot to include my April 2018 Early Reviewers book, The Trials of Nina McCall. I had never heard of this program before, but unfortunately I am not surprised. Important reading, even though I am not fond of his style of writing history. Too much speculating of what people might have thought or seen. I understand his wanting us to care about his characters, but the facts don't need any help.

I enjoy re-reading books as assigned to my son at school. His AP Literature class tackled Heart of Darkness as its first book of the school year. It had been several years since I last touched it, and I was struck by how different passages jumped off the page this time. Life experiences really do impact how we digest good writing, and it was nice to be reminded of that.

>30 Powderfinger69: That's a good way to revisit classics.

Today another book drops off my list of unread John le Carré. In Smiley’s People George Smiley returns from retirement after an old friend is killed. As he pieces events together he realizes that this could be an opportunity to defeat Karla once and for all. This thriller does not disappoint.

I read my first book by Tamara Faith Berger. I didn’t know what to expect. In Queen Solomon I found a sixteen year old boy with divorcing parents and serious mental issues who meets an eighteen year old exchange student with problems of her own. This book challenges the reader: uncertainty with what is real due to the unstable narrator; who is abusing whom sexually and mentally; Israel and Palestine and the Holocaust. That’s an awful lot to digest in 171 pages. I still have many questions about what I read. I will gladly reread it and try more of her books.

Mom mentioned the other day watching an older film of an Agatha Christie story. When I saw my copy of Murder on the Orient Express I couldn't resist picking it up. Even though I knew the ending, it was a fun read.

Absolutely loved Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides. A friend had told me about the non traditional relationships and hermaphroditism when giving me a copy. While that was very interesting, I found myself really enjoying the characters and family history. I look forward to reading another of his books.

Read last summer’s latest Daniel Silva offering, The Other Woman. A fun page turner. Sometimes his books are over the top in terms of pro-Israel. This book is less political. The Russia of Putin is bad. Let’s look for the mole. Fans of Allon will enjoy themselves but no art restoration this time—I miss that part of the character. But he still has feelings of pain and regret which is why I like reading about him.